Guitars Of The Week:
The Week of January, 28 2008 through February, 4 2008
The Week of February, 4 2008 through February, 11 2008
The Week of February, 11 2008 through February, 18 2008
The Week of February, 18 2008 through February, 25 2008
The Week of February, 25 2008 through March, 16 2008

Atom
Maple Carved Top on Mahogany
Tobacco Fade

Atom
Maple Carved Top on Mahogany
Tobacco Fade

Atom
Maple Carved Top on Mahogany
Tobacco Fade

Atom
Maple Carved Top on Mahogany
Tobacco Fade

Atom
Maple Carved Top on Mahogany
Tobacco Fade

Atom
Maple Carved Top on Mahogany
Tobacco Fade

Atom
Maple Carved Top on Mahogany
Tobacco Fade

…get ready…

CT is COMING

Last week we spoke of NAMM, where Atom CT—a carved top rendition of Atom—was unveiled. Let us draw the curtain back and learn a bit more about this magnificent playing instrument that is on its way. Expect to see the first ones arrive sometime in June.

A completely different Atom, it now stands firmly on tradition and yet is always distinctively Anderson—of course—and so good, as that is how it is able to endow with incomparable playability and sound—utterly incomparable. Hold it and strum it once, and you know.

Every few days we will expand this Guitar of the Week and add another and yet another aspect of Atom CT until you can almost feel it in your arms.

• Did someone say Tilt-Back Neck-to-Body Geometry? I’ve heard it said but what the heck does that mean anyway? As simply as we can say it: all Atoms incorporate a top-mounted bridge that stands above the body. Because of this taller bridge profile, the stings do not run exactly parallel to the body but slope downward from the bridge toward the neck. In order to accommodate this characteristic, and keep playing fast and smooth, the neck must leave the body at the same angle as the string plane. Thus, the neck angles back toward the player, ever so slightly, creating a different kind of feel—the other electric guitar feel of which we are all familiar. Of course, when it is employed on the new Atom CT, it plays like buttered lightening—so fast, so effortless and so smooth it literally brings a smile to your face as it asks you to fly. Was that clear enough? Hope so, but since a picture is worth a thousand words…

• And to hold a CT in your arms, look down, see the top gently rise as the Eastern Red Maple—also known as Eastern Soft Maple—glistens under the lights—just that aspect alone is a very cool thing.

• “Hi Sean?” What does this mean? We may never know but one thing is for certain, Jim West, the superlative guitar player with Weird Al’s Band, is enjoying his first experience with Atom CT—everyone did. With the band, Jim is called upon to execute a wide variety of playing styles on the fly and does so seamlessly as an Anderson Player. Jim is a really nice guy who is respected and admired by all in the music industry—we wholeheartedly agree. As the Eastern Red Maple top glistens under the lights it does come to our attention that the nicest people on earth seem to be drawn to and play Anderson Guitars—why is that? Perhaps they love the way CT’s tilt-back, neck-to-body geometry has that short-scale, carved-top vibe nailed and still plays like buttered lightening in your hands—it is the Anderson way.

• Atom CT has a substantial and more voluminous mahogany foundation to support its 24 ¾-inch scale length—literally more wood—more maple and more mahogany—than any other Atom model. This directly translates into a more monstrous upper-midrange cut, underpinned by a stout and forceful thickness of tone that you can feel as well as hear. The culmination is a playing experience of pure pleasure.

• But wait, there’s more! Wait is the only weight you will have to be concerned about with this new CT, for it will weigh in somewhere between 7.5 and 8 pound—another reason it will be greatly desired. With these attributes at this weight, it is certainly worth waiting for, that is for sure.

ANSWER: We challenged the members of the Anderson Forum with this question and true to form they nailed in minutes. They knew that this is Marcus Henderson of Guitar Hero fame. He is a happy Anderson player and one of the guys who plays the real guitar parts that go into the making of the Guitar Hero game. My son and all of his friends have gained a substantial and meaningful musical background and appreciation by being exposed to this medium and all of them are now learning to play guitar for themselves—it’s great. So a big thanks to Marcus and his Anderson Guitar.

And speaking of arms, the first Anderson aspect addresses just that. Conventionally, carved top instruments of the past allowed your picking hand to rest on the bridge and the only other contact point would be your forearm as it touches the small area of binding at the edge of the body.

Care for more comfort?

Notice in the newly added pictures, how CT’s Tuneomatic Bridge is mounted—look closely—recessed into the top. Lowering bridge height ever so slightly below the carved top’s apex allows your entire forearm to rest comfortably along the full length from bridge to binding.

A little thing—a huge difference. You’ll want to play all night long without bothering to take a break. So who needs to or wants to anyway?

Below is what we learned last week:

Back from NAMM!

We know you know, but NAMM is the music industry’s biggest trade show of the year. It is always fun and the Anderson booth is always packed with people who just need to be near these guitars and see them in person—some for the very first time. We appreciate just how they feel, we share that same enthusiasm. It is always an awe-inspiring Anderson event.

Now unveiled is the new Atom CT—CT for Carved Top. Long requested, some are calling this new Atom a crowning triumph. Say maybe CT stands for Crowning Triumph; we’ll have to double check on that.

Sonically, the thicker maple top and all-mahogany body makes this axe really cut through the mix with huge, aggressive bulk, just as it should be.

Wait just a minute! Maybe CT stands for Cuts Through. Now I’m not sure anymore.

Loved by the wise and seasoned guitar players at NAMM, CT is also an instant favorite with the wave of young and new guitar players arriving on the seen who proclaimed this new Atom: Creepy and Tight—for those not yet updated to the latest in language liberalization, that means it is cool—way cool.

Lean forward and gaze into the depths of CT, at what must be another unparalleled instrument from Anderson. Could it be anything else? But it’s Britt’s face (Michael Britt of Lonestar, that is) that says it all.

We will get into the details in more depth next week, for now…enjoy.

Many have been asking where all the guitars we took to NAMM ended up. It was the pictures on the Anderson forum that created the stir. Below is a list of those guitars and their temporary new homes.

• Drop Top: with classic flame Maple top in Honey Burst, new SF pickups have already been established as true and new tone machines. Magdon Music could not let this one go anywhere else.

• Cobra: seen in person for the first time, Jack’s Pacific Blue Burst made a huge splash landing at Marc’s Guitar.

• Hollow Drop Top: adorned in Transparent Yellow over Maple flames and supported by an aggressive sounding Mahogany back, is under the protective custody of Lang Music.

• Classic: Olympic White—this vintage looking masterpiece was acquired by those who really know at Willies American Guitars.
• Hollow T Classic-Drop Top: in Burnished Orange Burst, it turned everyone’s head and headed for Elite Music in Montgomery, Alabama.

• Hollow T Classic: finished in Tobacco Burst, it called to Zone Music and they could not refuse—of course.

• Classic: brand new Ocean Turquoise, this is the first one ever. All loved it and Spitzer Sound Stage in Fresno, California got it.